Books RSS

I often reference the book I'm reading in posts. It's good to have a central place to see all my posts about a book, so I was adding a unique ID. For example, B204. An ID is a lot shorter than having to write out the book title and author. However, it also doesn't tell the user anything about the book, and my tags list was getting clogged up by these IDs.#

So, I got Claude Fable 5.1 to build a separate metadata system for books! They're like tags, but just separated out for books. And it means I can show the title, author, year published, and also cover art!#

It needs a bit of tweaking, but it will do for now.#

Note: please ignore the books attached to this post. I'm just testing out the ability to hopefully add multiple books to a post.#

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I hate reading the Introduction chapter of a book, and will often skip them. They’re usually dull.#

So I love it when a book simply doesn’t use the word “introduction” in its introduction. It tricks me, quite happily, into actually reading it.#

The book I’ve just started has done it – "The Pen: A Human History" by Simon Garfield.#

And you know what? I enjoyed the intro chapter.#

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Talking of Sherlock Holmes, Bookish is a very underrated TV show with Holmes vibes. In fact, it’s written by Mark Gatiss who wrote the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock show.#

It’s a cosy detective show set in London after World War Two.#

There’s murder sometimes, but it’s gentlee.#

It’s a great show to fall asleep to (on rewatch – don’t miss any of it on first watch).#

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In bed, reading.#

Started a new book: "Everyday Life in Medieval London - From the Anglo-Saxons to the Tudors" by Toni Mount.#

Late dinner tonight as Abigail wasn’t hungry when I got home from a day in the office.#

She’s cooking. Tacos.#

I’m in the bath. I’ve just started reading Samuel Pepys for the first time properly.#

It’s very handily got lots of footnotes giving context and explaining people, events and things. However, there’s so many that it kind of ruins the flow of the reading. And his now out of date language can making it slightly tough anyway. So it’s swings and roundabouts.#

I’m reading each entry once pretty much all the way through. Then re-reading it, consulting the footnotes on second go.#

I’ll say this for Samuel, he wrote with brevity. I’m sure he was using a quill in poor lighting on expensive parchment, so it makes sense.#

Must go. 5 minutes until dinner.#

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I’ve taken a risk and purchased another book about walking. I’ve tried to read a few down the years. And failed.#

I love walking. But prose about it really does little for me. Walking somehow transcends language. And the written word can’t capture what it is to walk.#

Books about it tend to say a whole lot of nothing.#

I’m only 5 pages in on this new one and I know I won’t last. It’s too poncy (though it is written by a philosopher, so what did I expect).#

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